The Challenges of Houston Process Servers

There are times when process servers are not very popular people. That is not because they are bad. They tend to appear during a trying or contentious period in a person’s life. When they do, they are rarely welcome and they are frequently bearing bad news. They are often engaged in a battle of wits with individuals who are trying to avoid them. The people being served may be involved in a bitter divorce, unable to pay their bills or unwilling to face their legal obligations, such as paying child support.

In most cases, people who are outsmarted by Texas legal process servers do not like the fact that their attempts to hide, escape or conceal their true identities have failed. They act as though the process server is the villain when, in fact, Houston process servers are merely doing a job that is a legal requirement. Process servers do not have an opinion regarding the recipient’s guilt or innocence. They only know that they have been hired to deliver the paperwork for a court case.

Process servers have to be part detective and part messenger to be successful. They must use their investigative skills to find people who do not want to be found. They have been known to interview past and present neighbors, go through a person’s trash or pretend to be a pizza delivery person or a UPS employee to deliver the paperwork to the person that they have been tasked with finding. Sometimes, process servers must use their skills to find and question relatives to discover a person’s latest residence.

The ability to think and react quickly is a must for process servers. They have to be able to quickly confirm the type of person they are serving and be prepared for anything from a foot race to a physical assault. They must be willing to withstand a blistering verbal tirade and not let it affect their professionalism. Good process servers have to be persistent, resourceful and patient. They must be willing to enter into an elaborate game of cat and mouse to finally track down a recipient. These professionals need to concoct a foolproof plan yet be able adapt at a moment’s notice. They should remain stoic and ever-mindful of the federal, state and local laws.

It takes a unique person to be an effective process server. The job requires a thick skin and a calm demeanor. All the people who have ever worked as a process server know how it feels to have a door slammed in their face and what it is like to be called every bad name imaginable. That comes with the territory. Process servers have to remember that these insults are not actually being directed toward them personally. The rude antics are the reactions of people who have done something they regret and who will be heading to court to pay for their mistakes.

Although every situation is different, each one requires preparation. The recipient’s appearance, demeanor and habits have to be studied so that the process server can be in the right place at the right time to complete the job. When confronted with aggressive tactics, it is important to be emotionally detached and logical. Sometimes, it is necessary to abort one strategy in favor of another. This type of planning relies on previous experience and sound judgment.

Defense attorneys may try to challenge the methods used to serve their client. For that reason, it is imperative that process servers remain up-to-date on the laws and abide by them. They must also be prepared to defend their actions in a court of law. Process servers are not popular, but they are necessary part of our legal system.